Pennsylvania Health Care
Pennsylvania is a Mid-Atlantic State and is the 6th most populous state of the Union. Its capital is Harrisburg, and its 2010 total gross product of almost $600 billion ranked 6th in the nation. Per capital, Pennsylvania's DSP of $39,830 ranks 29th among the 50 states. The largest employers in the state are Wal-Mart and the University of Pennsylvania. Much of the state is rural, but there are almost 20 Fortune 500 companies located in the state's urban areas. Pennsylvania's population shows a small level of growth, with the state being primarily Caucasian (79.5%), African-American, (10.8%), Native American (.2%), Asian (2.7%), Latino (5.7%), and mixed (1.9%). The state's unemployment rate as of July, 2011 was 7.4% (Pennsylvania, 2012).
Healthcare in Pennsylvania- In 1986, the State of Pennsylvania enacted legislation designed to mitigate the circumstances surrounding the health care crisis in the state. Costs were rising, according to the report, because of an absence of concentrated and continuous efforts in all segments of the health care industry to economize and curtail costs. However, as late as 2007 the state found that the trends in healthcare remained a bit negative due to the following:
Growth in healthcare spending; governmental expenditures of almost $20 billion
Employment-based health insurance...
ue.com/topic/insurance-essays'>insurance -- number of insured decreased and premiums increased; decline in employer-sponsored covered and the demands of the state's aging population puts large fiscal burdens on the state.
Over 2 million Pennsylvanians do not have insurance; hospitals absorb over 1/2 billion in
revenue which is passed on to private payers.
75% of health care costs are due to 25% of patients with
chronic illness;
lifestyle changes to reduce obesity,
cigarette use, and type-II
diabetes are at the forefront.
Some measures of the population's health have worsened;
obesity is on the rise, diabetes is up 2%; so, decline in health and spending increased from $45 billion in 1995 to over $75 billion in 2005 (The State of Health Care in Pennsylvania, 2007).
Recent Initiatives
PAeHI Overview -- The Pennsylvania eHealth Initiative was created in 2005 as a voluntary,
public, private and non-profit coalition to bring together the major
stakeholders (businesses, healthcare, government) to develop…
